A Gentle Reminder

Look what arrived in the post! My new training t-shit, and a gentle reminder that I need to get my arse into gear before the ultra training begins.

It’s still six months before I embark on my second Ultra Marathon, the South Coast Challenge 50K, but if I’m going to have a real go at running this one, then I need to get moving.

The only other ultra that I have ever attempted was the London to Brighton 100K, which I ended up walking for most of the route, but this time I’m hoping that things will be different.

Firstly, this one half the distance, which should make it more doable. They do have a 100K option, but that would mean running past my front door (ok, two streets away from my front door) at the half way point, which I’m not sure I could cope with – especially as public transport from Arundel to Hove isn’t that great; my house, on the other hand, is about a 5 minute walk from the 50K finish line, which will hopefully motivate me to keep going.

I live on the street below and to the right of the red train station symbol. The yellow house symbol is the 50K point.

Secondly, even though I was in better shape before I started my 100K training than I am at the moment, at that time my training mostly involved very long walks and not much running at all. Also, I only started training nine weeks before the event itself. Yeah, I know, it’s a miracle that I didn’t die, but it gives me hope that with six months to train for the 50K, I should be able to do much better this time around.

So, with all of that in mind, and having taken a couple of days annual leave from work, I hopped on the treadmill this afternoon for a nice easy 30 min jog, covering 3.09 km with no walk breaks. Still slow, I know, but it will do for now.

How’s your training going? Have you ever had to run past your house during a long race? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Having a goal/race/event has always been my key to keep training…you sure know how to ‘go big’!! You’ve got the right idea giving yourself plenty of time to build up strength and endurance. Can’t wait to watch this unfold 😀

Wow – an ultra! I’m always gobsmacked when I hear about people running those – so impressive! I had to run past my house during my worst 5K race ever… not nearly as bad as running past it in the midst of an ultra, but I was still *so* tempted to just run inside and quit. I didn’t though! 🙂 Good luck with your training!!

Thank you. I’m not a serious ultra runner though – my aim is to run more than I walk, so if I can do that I’ll be more than happy. 🙂
Running past your house in any race is going to be hard if you’re struggling, so well done for finishing. At least it’s not too far to crawl home once it’s over. 😉

It’s great when an event is so close to home. The York 10K starts and finishes at the Racecourse which is about a mile from my house 🙂
Well done for continuing to get on the treadmill. I find that I run faster outside after training on the treadmill.

A one mile walk home sounds ideal after a race, and easy to get to as well.
I haven’t run outside at all since I got the treadmill so it will be interesting to see what happens – maybe I’ll catch a good tailwind. 😉